Sunday, January 19, 2014

7AM - 8PM; Enough basketball yet?

The clan pulled out of the driveway at 7:10AM yesterday morning and didn't return until 7:50PM after a day full of basketball.
The day was long, and filled with a bit of schedule-joggling in order to make it happen.  AND, we did.

Cassie started us out with an 8:00 game at our own home school.
7th grade basketball team with Coach Osborn
There are three girls on the team that have been towering over classmates consistently for the past couple of years:  Cassie and the two teammates on each side of her pictured above.  There's a little nickname starting to be murmured about the squad for these three:  The triple threat.

 
Cassie has only been jumping the ball at the start of the game for the past couple of events.  When we asked her why she thought Coach made this switch, her response was..."Probably because I'm tallest now."   Well.... ya gotta love logic.

Even though this is "only 7th grade," the game is already reaching an increased level of intensity and is pretty physical!  Cassie, unfortunately, was assigned to guard a "hot head" ---- really.  Cassie kept her cool and did her job;  the other girl fouled out by the end of the game, only after receiving a technical to boot!  Yup.  In fact, the green team opponent had TWO girls foul out before the end of the game, and TWO players on the team had earned technicals.  Alright.... that coach obviously has to figure it out!  **shaking head in complete disbelief STILL**
Anyway, SADLY, we actually weren't able to see the 2nd half of this game because we had to hit the road to get Caitlyn to HER tournament in a town an hour away.  All of the foul and technical foul information was relayed to Paul and I via texts mssgs from other parents while we were on the road.  {{I left with strict instructions to txt me if Cassie received an elbow from her opponent! ... LOL.}}  Sure, I laugh now, but..... really.  It was THAT bad;  that girl .... she had some competitive aggression issues and a coach that didn't bench her.

Anyway.... by the time we arrived to Caitlyn's tournament, we received a final text message that Cassie's team won.  By two points, with the winning basket at the 2-second mark.  Whooo-ooo.

On to Caitlyn and her adorable lil' 4th grade squad.  What a change in intensity.  ;)
These girls are learning the fundamentals of team plays this year, being their first year having competition with other schools in the conference.

Caitlyn also is assigned the duty to start the ball in play with the jump-ball;  I suppose having a Dad that is 6'6" might have something to do with their height advantages.  (Yah....Gah-REAT picture, Mom!)

The 4th grade games are fun and relaxing to watch.  There are lots of smiles and laughs from fans, watching the girls figure out the do's and don'ts of the game.  Watching the coaches is sometimes a hoot, too.  They really (for the most part) handle their frustrations well, and teach the girls as the games proceed.

The highlight of Caitlyn's day was the steal (which I actually CAPTURED!) she made, leading to a breakaway layup shot, that she MADE!!!  Her arms went up in the air afterwards in victory... and the fans chuckled.  How could you not? ;)

By 12:00, Caitlyn's tournament consisting of two games was complete.  After a quick Subway stop for lunch, we were back on the road, heading back to Cassie's tournament.
Although the schedule for Cassie's tournament was long and crazy, it truly worked to our advantage.  We missed her 10:30 game, but we were able to watch her 3:00 game AND her 6:30 game.  Plus, the advantage of having a home tournament:  once the 3:00 game ended at 4:00, we were able to head home to take care of animals and prepare dinner supplies before needing to head back for the 6:30 game.

All in all....yup, it was a long day.  Just ask CANDACE!  BUT, it was a decent schedule to fit it all in.

Today:  I'm avoiding the school bag (for the most part);  I'm getting good at accepting what can be done, AND school work is to be done at SCHOOL!  If I can't get it done there, well....... then some flexibility in the daily schedule and/or expectation of completion of tasks simply needs to be made.  The reality is what it is;  and the administration, parents, students and community have to accept that certain standards have been forced to be lowered due to the crazy impossibility of what's expected on our plates.  Truly.
This is the weekend, and..... I'm starting to simply put my foot down.  No.  I won't burn up 4 hours of my Sunday for ONE class.  BUT, I also know ME!  I know I'll need to put in at least an hour of basic prep in order to reduce some stress of walking into AP-Stats with the only plan of "winging" a lesson.  Ummmm....there is NO "winging" an AP-Stats lesson!

Whining?  Nope.   Just.  Burned out.  And trying to keep my sanity and TRULY TRULY trying to stay positive.

SO....today:  A little bit of house cleaning, laundry-doings, and... of course, SOME SEWING!

2 comments:

QuiltinLibraryLady said...

You had quite the Saturday! I understand perfectly what you mean about standards needing to be lowered to the time available during the workday. In the past I put a lot of my own time into work for the library. Now I pretty much do what I can on library time and that's it. Maybe I just got old and cranky, I don't know, but why put in hours of my own time to put on programs, story hours, etc., when the parents won't bother to bring their kids to them. Or community members would rather sit in the bar than come to a library program. Yeah, I think I got cranky anyway!! :)

soscrappy said...

I am in complete understanding of your compromises. I have a stack of test scores I will post today, but I just can't spend a full day on lesson plans each weekend. I truly don't think people understand how much they have shifted the burden onto our shoulders in their push to save money. So glad you were able to squeeze in most of the games though. Those 4th graders are just too darn cute!